…Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892)
Uncle
Walt
Walter
Whitman was born in the Long Island town of West Hills, New York on May 31,
1819. He spent much of his childhood in Brooklyn where his father worked as a
carpenter. He loved the excitement of living and working in New York City and
interacting with people.
Whitman
taught school in rural parts of Long Island, worked as a type setter, and held
editorial jobs at several newspapers. He is now considered America's greatest
poet, but in his lifetime, he was often put on the defensive for his writings.
The term "homosexual" did not enter into common usage in American
culture until after his death, but Whitman wrote profusely of his love of men,
or "comrades."
by W. Whitman
No labor-saving machine,
Nor discovery have I made,
Nor will I be able to leave behind me any wealthy bequest
to found a hospital or library,
Nor reminiscence of any deed of courage for America,
Nor literary success nor intellect, nor book for the book-shelf,
But a few carols vibrating through the air I leave,
For comrades and lovers.
Walt
Whitman the Abolitionist
Walt
Whitman was a staunch abolitionist. He was fired from his job as editor of
"The Brooklyn Eagle" for his strong statements for abolishing
slavery. He was likewise fired from a subsequent job at the "The Brooklyn
Times" when religious leaders became offended by his outspoken nature.
Banned
in Boston
In
1855, Walt Whitman self published a collection of 12 of his poems - - Leaves of
Grass. Although it was not a commercial success, he drew the attention of
fellow literary figures. Expanded editions of his poems were published under
the same title later in his life. In 1881, The New England Society for the
Suppression of Vice dubbed his work to be inappropriate for public viewing and threatened
to sue its publisher.
by W. Whitman
I hear it was charged against me that I sought to destroy institutions,
But really I am neither for nor against institutions,
(What indeed have I in common with them?
Or what with the destruction of them?)
Only I will establish in the Mannahatta
and in every city of these states inland and seaboard,
And in fields and woods, and above every keel little or large that dents the water,
Without edifices or rules or trustees or any argument,
The institution of the dear love of comrades.
Whitman
and Lincoln
Whitman
was fervently patriotic. He once wrote that "The United States themselves
are essentially the greatest poem." Whitman lived in Washington, DC from
1863-1873. He came to visit his brother George who had been wounded in a Civil
War battle and stayed on as a volunteer nurse at the Armory Square Hospital. He
would make the rounds of the hospital wards, which were actually converted
federal office buildings, and deliver treats to the wounded.
by W. Whitman
I onward go, I stop,
With hinged knees and steady hand to dress wounds,
I am firm with each, the pangs are sharp yet unavoidable,
One turns to me his appealing eyes-poor boy! I never knew you,
Yet I think I could not refuse this moment to die for you, if that would save you.
His
generous nature and warm personality were well known to Washingtonians. Whitman
befriended many people in the nation's capitol ranging from the working class
to the Presidents that occupied the White House during this period. He worked
at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, but was fired from his job the by Secretary of
Interior James Harlan when his connection to "Leaves of Grass" was
discovered. With the help of friends, Whitman then got a job as a clerk in the
Attorney General's office.
The
occasion of Lincoln's assassination inspired Whitman to write the poems
"When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" and "O Captain! My
Captain!."
by W. Whitman
When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom'd,
And the great star early droop'd in the western sky in the night,
I mourn'd, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring.
Ever-returning spring, trinity sure to me you bring,
Lilac blooming perennial and drooping star in the west,
And thought of him I love.
Walt
and Peter
Peter
Doyle was an Irish immigrant who worked as a street car driver for the
Washington and Georgetown Railroad in Washington DC. A chance meeting on a
stormy evening led to a lifetime of companionship between Whitman and his
"special friend."
"The night was very stormy, - he had been over to see Burroughs before he came down to take the car - the storm was awful. Walt has his blanket - it was thrown round his shoulders - he seemed like an old see captain. He was the only passenger, it was a lonely night, so I thought I would go in and talk with him. Something in me made me do it and something in him drew me that way. He used to say there was something in me had the same effect on him. Anyway, I went into the car. We were familiar at once - I put my hand on his knee - we understood."
Doyle
was in the audience at Ford's Theater on the night that President Lincoln was
assassinated. He provided Whitman with first hand accounts of the events that
unfolded which were later included in his poems.
The
Good Gray Poet
Whitman
was the target of attacks and slander because of his outspoken nature. He
survived these trials with the support of friends and admirers. Despite
repeated attempts to "sanitize" his works, Whitman never allowed the
homosexual nature of his poems to be watered down or removed. He got the
nickname "The Good Gray Poet" from William Douglas O'Connor, who
wrote a pamphlet by that title in defense of Whitman and his work.
Whitman
suffered a stroke in 1873 and was ordered by his physician to go to the
Atlantic and convaless. He made it as far as Camden, New Jersey where he would
spend the rest of his life. Whitman died in Camden New Jersey on March 26,
1892.
Learn
More About Walt Whitman
- Visit the Walt Whitman
Hypertext Archive
- Visit the Whitmanland virtual tour
of his place of birth.
- Read "Leaves of
Grass" or one of the many collections of Whitman's writings.
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